Stay Engaged
by grungekitty
Summary: "Gibson was the only one still awake. He was the only one that could save Shuggazoom, or the team for that matter. No pressure right?" short Gibson based story. It's suppose to feel like a tiny part of a bigger story.


**Computer straight out died on me.**

**I **_**finally**_** got a new one (relatively speaking)**

**I may of lost the one or two unfinished works I had on my old one after we brought it back from the first crash. (lot of good that did -_-)**

**aaaanyways**

**I've been up WAY too long...again**

**And my little chin has taken up the hobby of making the most annoying sound he possibly can with his cage.**

**But I digress...**

**-grungekitty**

* * *

Stay engaged, stay awake.

Gibson was the only one still awake. He was the only one that could save Shuggazoom, or the team for that matter.

No pressure right?

Stay engaged, stay awake.

Lucky Gibson had been used to pulling all-nighters. Chiro had fallen victim before any of them knew what they were dealing with. Otto had tuckered himself out by the end of the first day, to the surprise of no one. Antauri tried to meditate, but that proved counter productive. SPRX and Nova tried their best, but staying awake for a little over two days isn't easy. Gibson was the last one not trapped in a subconscious prison.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

"Drat!" Gibson yelled.

He realized that his computer would need time to run his calculations again. He would need to find another way the stay engaged.

Stay engaged, stay awake after all.

Gibson could feel his own fatigue as he stepped out of his lab. He was well beyond heavy eyes. Every glance in a slightly new direction was dizzying. Every blur of motion was exaggerated to a hallucinogenic point, but despite what many believe, you hearing stays crystal clear. There is no distorting in any sounds, it's just a matter of processing it as voices or white noise.

Gibson felt his savage hungry pull at his stomach. Good, something else to delay sleep.

As Gibson walked toward the kitchen, the words from earlier passed through his mind.

_"It only takes a second."_

He couldn't lose it for even a second or he too would fall into an irreversible slumber.

Even as he struggled to get his eyes to focus, Gibson kept himself upright and active. He began fixing a small amount of food while he found other task to occupy him until his calculations were done.

His lab needed cleaning anyway, no one would be unhappy about him polishing the walls, he could rearrange his files in a more efficient manner, and if push came to shove, he could always go into someone else's room and organize there.

Just as long as he didn't stop engaging himself.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

And he so needed to stay awake.

When his food was done, he ate while walking. He cleaned and organized his lab, but he didn't touch the floors. If he sat down, he'd lay down, and if he laid down, he'd close his eyes, and if he closed his eyes, he'd most certainly fall asleep.

_"Calculations complete"_ the computer chimed.

Gibson bolted over to it to check on his latest solution.

**FAILURE**

It flashed on screen.

"Monkeydoodle!" Gibson cursed, then began his speed typing.

Gibson immersed himself in his work.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

The clicking of his keyboard a constant sound resonating through the room.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

His eyes could easily gloss over seeing how Gibson had his keyboards long since memorized.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

A stretch of his arms, an enter key pressed, and Gibson back to finding more ood tasks to complete.

Stay engaged, stay awake.

A new file system, waxed walls in every hallway, and every room in the entire super robot clean and organised later, Gibson came back to check on his calculations.

**98%**

Gibson paced, drummed his fingers, spun his tail, and did any other small motion that could distract him from exhaustion while he waited. Out of ideas, Gibson grabbed a pen and paper to start doodling flowers and human shoes.

_"Calculations complete"_ the computer chimed.

Gibson took a pause. He was running out of time to get this right. He was running out of ways to stay engaged, and in turn, ways to stay awake. It wouldn't be long before he succumbed to exhaustion, and when he did, if he didn't have this solution, everyone was doomed. It would mean Skeleton King would win. Gibson painfully hesitated, bracing himself for a bright red "FAILURE" flashing on his screen.

**SUCCESS**

Gibson sighed in relief, everything would be ok within the hour.

And then he could take a much deserved, and much desired, nap!

* * *

**That killed some time, yay!**

**I haven't been up for that long, I said a little over two days purely for the story.**

**but I do need to try to stay up to a reasonable hour.**

**Also that whole "stay engaged" thing?**

**That's the golden rule for staying up. You'll fall asleep the instant you get bored.**

**And games are a dangerous road, if you do play one, play something that takes a lot of conscious brain power.**

**This concludes Grunge's tips for recklessly staying awake, and her fanfic.**

**-grungekitty**


End file.
